Comparison of Volatile Flavor Compounds in Korean Native Chrysanthemum Leaves

This study was conducted to compare the volatile flavor compounds in leaves of Korean native chrysanthemums. The volatile flavor compounds from 15 Korean native chrysanthemums were collected using a simultaneous steam distillation and extraction technique, and analyzed using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry with mass selective detector. The peak area results were obtained by SAS system and evaluated by principal component analysis and cluster analysis. A total of 45 volatile-flavor compounds distilled from chrysanthemum were identified as nineteen hydrocarbons, fifteen alcohols, two acids, one aldehyde, four ketones, and four esters by their function. There was difference in qualitative and quantitative composition among chrysanthemum species. The volatile flavor compounds such as camphor, borneol, phytol, α-pinene, camphene, 1.8-cineol, and germacrene-D were detected in all tested chrysanthemums. The tested chrysanthemums could be classified into three distinct groups by the cluster analysis based on volatile flavor compounds. The first group included C. zawadskii ssp. acutilobum, C. zawadskii ssp. acutilobum var. tenuisectum, C. zawadskii ssp. acutilobum var. alpinum, C. zawadskii ssp. lucidum, and C. zawadskii ssp. coreanum. The second group included C. zawadskii ssp. naktongense, C. zawadskii ssp. yezoense, C. zawadskii ssp. latilobum, C. zawadskii ssp. latilobum var. leiophyllum, and C. makinoi. The third group included C. indicum, C. indicum var. albescens, C. indicum var. acuta, C. boreale, and C. lineare. The first group showed low contents of aldehydes and acids while the second group showed high amounts of in aldehydes and ketones. The third group showed higher hydrocarbons, alcohols, and acids, but lower aldehydes and ketones. This result suggested that chrysanthemum flavors can be used as key compounds for the classification of Korean native chrysanthemum.